After finishing the greeting and tea and snacks we’ll be doing photography sessions of the eagle hunters. There will be possibilities to gather 3 to 4, or even more, eagle hunters for photography. Tonight we’ll stay with the family but we will have our own yurt or camp for the night. Our expedition cook will prepare Western food & local cuisine, a hot meal, coffee and snacks.

Packing down the winter camp: A day spent with our Kazakh hosts who will be packing up all their possessions ready to leave the next day. Accommodation will be at our personal tents by the side of the family house.

Traditionally the men rode on horses, women rode on horseback or on a pack of animals and Bactrian camels were traditionally used to move possessions. Everything is made ready and prepared for moving: ger parts, carpets, pots and pans, shelves, stoves. Nowadays, if the family has access, trucks are used for moving the ‘home.’ Herder starts herding early in the morning before sunrise, and we’ll walk with the nomads and their herd at the same time as taking photographs while we follow the families to their spring camp. Each day our ground team will drive ahead in special 4×4 vehicles and set up our Ger tents for sleeping and dining.

Our walking will be approximately 10 to 15 kilometres per day. While the walking isn’t terribly difficult (it will be cold and there will be a lot of walking), anyone who gets tired or simply wants a break can always hop into one of our vehicles. Photography from sunrise to well past sunset each day. At night our accommodation will be in a Ger(yurt).

We’ll be awake to the fresh mountain air and stunning morning glow of the Altai Mountain range, and start moving towards Tsengel Khairkhan snow-capped mountains, a place of high altitude and beautiful landscape. Overnight stay in a warm Ger(yurt).

Early morning photographing landscapes and exploring the neighbourhood areas. The focus of our afternoon will be to travel with our eagle hunter to one of the beautiful peaks around this valley to capture an epic ‘eagle hunter on horseback’ shot. A beautiful and very isolated spot in the snow-covered mountains of Tavan Bogd national park. The best time to shoot will be sunset and dusk so we will make time for everything precisely. Overnight stay in a warm Ger(yurt).

This is especially a cold-weather trip and your packing should reflect that. During this time the weather in Mongolia can be very unpredictable and you’ll be spending a lot of time outdoors so it’s important to have the right gear with you. Clothing-wise, layers are the key since you will be potentially both walking and sitting in cold vehicles. The amount of each that you choose to do will depend on your fitness and preference. Our support vehicles will follow our route at a distance as much as possible offering everyone the chance to travel in a vehicle if needed. Part of our team will travel ahead each day and set up camp at our daily destination with mattresses, camel wool blankets and wood stoves in each ger. Our staff will stoke the fires throughout the night allowing us to dry clothes and stay warm, however, a 5 season sleeping bag is essential and you must bring your own.

This is a suggested packing list to make your trip a fulfilling and comfortable experience.

• Backpack
• Waterproof bag cover
• Winter Gloves, Snow Gloves
• Comfortable light snow boots for walking
• Headlamp/flashlight
• Personal medications
• Waterproof hiking boots
• Waterproof winter jacket for extreme cold with hood
• Waterproof over pants
• lightweight trousers
• Anti-mosquito lotion
• long underwear
• Wool socks
• Underwear
• Warm hat and gloves
• Sunglasses (Take one spare also)
• Suncare cream
• Spare glasses
• Water plastic case with 1 litre of capacity
• Wet tissues
• Money belt/ pouch
• Insurance confirmation copy
• Emergency contact number
• Carry your essential and basic medicines for headaches, fever, stomach upset, etc.
• Using layers of warm wear will be useful. 4-7 layers will be good enough

You should bring cameras, a laptop (for editing in the evenings), and a head torch these kinds of things instantly spring to mind. Don’t worry about recharging since we will have generators to top up our gear each night. Once you confirm your booking with a 40% deposit, we will send you all the information you need to fully prepare yourself for this epic journey.

This is just an idea about the suggested camera and accessory:

• One or two DSLR or Mirrorless (Full Frame or Crop Sensor) cameras. If you use a full-frame DSLR or mirrorless camera, for much of the time, when photographing the tribes or rituals, you will want to cover focal lengths of around 24-70mm or 24-105mm. However, a kit lens (18-55/3.5 or 4.0) will also work.
• For photographing hunters from a distance, consider bringing a larger zoom or prime telephoto lens for photography, of up to 300mm.
• If you bring a good quality bridge camera instead of a DSLR or mirrorless camera, it will be best if it has an optical zoom of 18-20x or more, combined with a reasonable wide-angle at the other end of the zoom range.
• Protector for your lens.
• A Sturdy Tripod could be required to shoot some low light images.
• Power Bank & Electric Socket Extension.
• Adequate memory card and Card reader.
• Be sure to bring plenty of spare battery power for your camera and external hard drive with adequate space and a card reader. There will likely be only limited access to power when we stay with the nomads.
• A Computer with photo-processing software [Lightroom, Photoshop]. (If you are not having this software, don’t worry we’ll provide it.)
• Carry a small size soft cloth or towel which you may require to wrap your camera during the night shoot.
• Carry a microfiber to wipe the lens if ice crystal forms.

All of the places we visit on this trip will be accessible in our land cruiser vehicles so physical fitness is not a priority. Only if you are joining the Pre-Extension Lalebela Photo Tour then you’ll have to walk to reach different churches.

• The altitude will be 2400 meters max.
• You may not be able to take a bath for two days however during our Suri tribe shoot our camp will be by the river, so if you wish you may take a natural bath in the river.
• In many places, we will face issues with the Internet and mobile networks.

If like me, you choose to walk the full 150km of the migration then I suggest that you will need a fair to a good level of fitness. The migration moves at a normal walking pace and includes breaks for food and tea throughout the day. However, since you will always have the option to rest your legs by calling a vehicle with your walkie-talkie, I feel that hardiness is a more important quality to have than fitness on a trip like this. If you are the kind of person who can’t live without your home comforts then you will struggle on this journey. We will be sleeping together in gers and toilets will only be available each night at camp in the form of ‘long drops’ dug by our crew in the frozen ground and enclosed in a small tent.  Similarly, due to the freezing cold, showers will NOT be available during the 5-day migration (a bowl of hot water and some wet wipes in a warm ger will have to do). However, we will be able to set up a shower once we reach our destination.  The weather will have the greatest effect on the harshness of this trip.  Most commonly, days are fine with blue skies and cold (around -15 °C) but nights will be -25 °C and beyond. Be aware because snow storms and wind chills can affect the weather drastically.

• The altitude will be 3500-4000 mt. max.
• You won’t be able to take a bath for a few days.
• In many places, we will face issues with the Internet & Mobile networks.

Only a maximum of 4 hardworking participants will be selected for this workshop. This is not a fancy tour; it’s a real expedition and you have to walk a lot, so your physical fitness is very important.

Participants will be granted the expedition based on email confirmation on a first come first serve basis. Feel free to call +91 8509333385 or +918900702900 for any further assistance.

You need to pay 40% of the tour amount immediately. Balance amount to be paid 60 days before the tour. Once the payment is done, please send us a copy of the bank receipt (a screenshot is also fine) of your payment sent details. Once we confirm your payment, we will send you the tour id no. along with the Rules & Regulations of the tour, which makes you, a confirmed candidate for the photo tour.

In the event of a cancellation or modification of your confirmed booking, Exposure’s Cancellation and Refund Policy for Photography Workshops will be applicable, and you need to fully agree to be bound by them. Any refunds will be made within 14 working days from the date of written confirmation of cancellation, via the same mode with which the payment was made to us.

To reserve your spot 40% of the full fee is required at the time of your booking. You can pay using the online payment link on our website or ask for the account details or PayPal to transfer the payment. Your reservation may be cancelled if full payment has not been received by the last date specified and communicated. All cancellation notices must be received in writing and will become effective as of the date of the postmark (standard mail or electronic).

Cancellation deductions will be as per the following policy of full fees:

• 40% cancellation of the total fee if cancelled 90 days before the start of the expedition or earlier than the expedition.
• 100% cancellation of the total fee if cancelled 59 days on or before the start of the expedition.

Please read all details on this page and the Detailed Terms and Conditions, Disclaimer / Undertaking in the Registration cum Booking Form.